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Michael Angiulo, corporate vice president of Windows Planning, Hardware and PC Ecosystem, showed several Windows 8 devices at the Microsoft's Build conference. Photo / Supplied
The stakes couldn't be higher for Microsoft. After copping a significant (and deserved) amount of flak over Windows Vista, the Redmond software behemoth bounced back with Windows 7 in 2009, only to miss the rapid growth in the tablet and smartphone arena.
Microsoft has taken this on board and has launched the dev version of the next Windows iteration called (surprise, surprise) Windows 8, which will span PCs and tablets.
The full version is due to launch next year. Opinions on Windows 8 have so far have been mixed, and it remains to be seen if it has the ability to re-ignite Microsoft's fortunes in the tablet space.
So what could be Windows 8's killer features and what are potential flops?
Look & feel
Taking note of the acclaim that Windows Phone 7's metro interface attracted, Microsoft has designed Windows 8's interface to incorporate a touch-friendly approach using the live tiles that'll be instantly familiar to any Windows Phone 7 users. Equally nice, Windows 8 will also play well with full-screen HTML 5 widgets and finger gestures such as a single swipe to switch applications.
As much as the interface of Windows 8 is elegant- in that it'll give the user an at-a-glance overview of running apps without having to open them - it isn't exactly pretty (and it could be argued that it looks to have been designed by a five-year-old with a box of crayons).
Moreover, it is also questionable just how useful this type of interface will be on non-touch devices such as notebook and desktop PCs. Microsoft has thankfully provided an optional traditional Windows 7 style interface should it be required.
In many instances, Windows 8 won't use the same windows that we take for granted.
With Windows 8, the upper right edge of a window won't have controls for closing or resizing, as most apps will run in a full screen mode. This in effect means programmes will be able to be "snapped" so that one running app can snap over to the left side of the desktop whilst the other is snapped to the right. According to the video demos, apps could also be resized via a finger (or mouse) draggable dividing line. How well this will work in practice, especially where there are many windows open, remains to be seen - but it is nonetheless an interesting
concept.
concept.
Wintel widened
Most significantly, but least talked about is the move by Microsoft to make Windows 8 compatible with ARM-based CPUs, announced at theConsumer Electronics Show in Vegas earlier this year.
This is a huge move as Microsoft has always based its respective OSes on X86 silicon from both Intel and AMD. To date, the lack of ARM support has been one of the many factors that have acted to hold Microsoft back from the smartphone and tablet market as processors such as Nvidia's Tegra, Qualcomm's Snapdragon and Texas Instruments OMAP silicon continue to dominate over Intel in the tablet and smartphone space.
Web-ified desktop
Microsoft has also been talking up plans to support a new class of applets they've branded as "Tailored Apps". These will use existing web languages such as HTML 5 and JavaScript, but unlike Java, they will be able to interact with system hardware and files.
The logic underpinning this move is as simple as it is compelling. By supporting existing widely used and existing development tools, Microsoft can quickly attract a huge amount of developers which help to ensure Windows 8 quickly gains traction. With a move like this, the devil is always going be in the detail, and security issues could potentially temper the hype around being able to develop apps that'll run on both the ARM and x86 versions of Windows 8.
Microsoft is also following Apple's lead by adding an App Store into Windows 8. Little has been shown or said on the store, however should tailored apps take off like everyone thinks they will, tying them into an online store so developers can quickly monetise their creations could (in theory) prove hugely compelling. If this happens, we could see swathes of interesting applets extending Windows usefulness and appeal as the ecosystem grows.
Wrangling files
Anyone with a sizeable pile of digital music or a photo collection has felt the frustration associated with copying or moving files using Windows. Copying files to a new location can be at best a cumbersome undertaking but usually is a complete mission - especially if copying batches of files.
Microsoft must've been feeling the pain of many a geek as they've totally re-worked the entire file copy interface with Windows 8 now using a single dialog box for multiple copies with individual files able to be paused and/or resumed.
This, and the addition of more understandable warnings should you try to overwrite one version of a file with another, will potentially makes this feature a real boon.
Under the hood
Cosmetic features aside, Microsoft has also got busy under Windows' hood, and added a swathe of nifty stuff that won't make headlines but should definitely improve usability.
One of the biggies is native USB 3 support. USB 2 was a revelation for many, allowing the quick and easy addition of peripherals like hard drives and memory sticks for quickly transferring files. USB 3 support will continue this while also being able to hunt data from A to B up to 10 times faster. Anyone with USB compatible chargers will also welcome USB 3's ability to carry more voltage for faster charging
Another selling point with Windows 8 looks to be what Microsoft has called "always on, always connected". In essence this means a Windows 8-powered device can go into standby but remain connected to the internet, which could prove to be insanely useful.
Most significantly however, the always on, always connected feature should also allow for instant wake to use. This said, there was a significant amount of hype around Windows 7 instant start up time, however this after its launch this was still significantly slower than the current crop of iOS and Android devices.
Rumours are also swirling from geeks supposedly in the know that Microsoft will also bundle support for the Kinect camera which has proved wildly popular on the Xbox 360. This could mean that Minority Report-like gesture control over Windows will be possible, as will voice input and a slew of games guaranteed to make users look very silly.
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